Method of and apparatus for serving material to alpha core



' 1,629 169 May 9 H. MASSINGHAM METHOD OF AND 'APPARATUS FOR SERVING MATERIAL TO A CORE Filed Oct. 19. 1926 "A Y A Iiwenf flew/755,04) am Patente'd May 17, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ROGERS MASSINGHAM, OF LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN- ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SERVING MATERIAL TO A GORE.

Application filed October 19, 1926. Serial No. 142,624.

This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for serving material to a core, and more particularly to a method of .and apparatus for serving strand material to a non-circular shaped core.

manufacture of certain types of electrical cables, principally those employcdfor intel-connecting sections of telephone exchange switchboards, to form the cable by helically serving a plurality of twisted pairs of wires on a non-circular core of flat pressboard. It will be apparent as any particular pair of wires is wrapped around either narrow edge of the core that the rate of speed. at which the pair of wires is withdrawn from its supply source will be increased suddenly as it is laid across either of the wide fiat surfaces of the core, and upon being wrapped around the core at either edge thereof the rate of their withdrawal will be decreased suddenly. Due to the intermittent, irregular or jerky speed at which the wires are being withdrawn 2 from their supply sources, extreme care must be taken in the stranding of flat, elliptical or other non-circular shaped cable, in that due to the inertia of the supply spools, breakage in the wires or the cutting of the core at the edges thereof may occur.

The object of this invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for eliminating any tendency of the strand material to distort the core by deleterious strains or pressures thereon or otherwise during the serving thereof to cores of a non-circular. type which results in the production .of a product which is of a substantially uniform cross-section over itsentire length. v

40 In order to attain this ob ect.1n accordance with one embodimentof this inven-.

.tion, as practiced in connection with the forming of a flat type telephone switchboard cable wherein the core' comprises a thin flat strip of pressboard, a plurality of strands or wires are withdrawn from a plurality of supply spools and distributed uni formly around the longitudinal axis of the core. Durin the travel of the strands or wires from t e point of distribution to the pointof application to the cores, the strands vor wires are pro essively formed into their ultimate formatlon upon the core so that they are assembled upon the core without exerting any deleterious strains or pressures thereon. I Specifically, the invention provides a stationary combined core guide tube and wire y preforming mandrel having a tip so shaped It is the practice in connection with the I that each pair of wires during its travel 6 between its point of distribution and its point of application to the core is gradu-. ally preformed with the exact bends required therein before it passes onto and is suppoited by or assembled upon the pressboard core itself in its ultimate form,- thereby eliminating any tendency of the wires through varying tensions thereon to distort the core during .the stranding operation.

Other objects and advantages of this in- 'vention will more fully appear from the ac companying detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment thereof, in which Fig. 1 is 'a fragmentary sideview of the outlet end of a wire twisting or stranding machine embodying the features of this invention, showing a plurality of pairs of wires being served to a non-circular core;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof-showin for the sake of clearness the serving of a single pair of wires;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

It is believed that a better understanding of the improved method will be procured from a description of the improved apparatus, whereby the method may be practiced.

This invention will be described in connection with a wire twisting or stranding machine, such as is used in the manufacture of telephone cables. Inorder to simplify the disclosure of this invention only such elements of.-a stranding or serving machine have been shown as are, necessary to a full 11, through each of which is threaded a pair of individually insulated twisted wires 12.

The distributor is adjustably carried upon a plurality of studs 13 rotatable with the.

stranding machine. In' the operation of the machine each pair of the. Wires 12 is drawn from a freely rotatable supply spool not shown) carried upon a rotatable stran ing drum (not shown). A telephone switch board cable of the flat type is illustrated-in the drawing as being formed, the pairs of wires 12 being stranded or twisted about a thin flat pressboard core 15, which in the operation of thestranding machine is advanced toward the right as viewed in Figs. 1 and'2 at a predetermined rate, the core 15 passing along the axis of the machine upon a stationary supporting-plate '16 disposed below the core and extending from one end of the machine to the other and suitably supported from the floor or otherwise. Upon .passing from the right end of the machine, or'the end which carries the distributor 10,

the core 15 passes through an aperture 17 formed in the distributor 10. A polisher or compactor 18 01? the usual type is provided.

with an aperture having a contour corresponding to. the shape of the finished cable which may be drawn therethrough' by a usual capstan mechanism (not shown).

Fixed to the supporting plate 16 *at its right end and extending betweenopposite faces of the distributor 10 and compactor 18 is a combined core guide tube and wire preforming mandrel 20 embodying thef eatures of this invention. The mandrel 20 comrises upper and lower complementary meme ers 21 and 22, respectively, clamped together by aU-bolt 23, the lower member having an extension 24 upon its left end by means of which the assembled members 21 and 22 may be attached to the plate 16 by screws. Extending longitudinally of the mandrel 20 throughout substantially the left.

half thereof as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, which is circular in cross-section, is an aperture 27 which is rectangular in'cross-seetion and. a. trifle larger than the cross-sectional area of the pressboard core 15 which in the operation of the machine passes therethrough. The right half of each of the members 21and 22 is sufliciently reduced in width to cut away the opposite side wallsof the aperture 27 as clearly shown .in Fig. 2

between a point 28 and its extreme right end,

thus reducing the width of the members to substantially the same as the core15. In

addition, themembers 21 and 22 are each tapered at their right ends in such a manner that they terminate in a point at opposite edges of the core 15 and upon opposite hori-- zontal faces thereof and a. comparativelyshort distance from the left-face of the eom-.

sudden tightening thereon, thereby elimipactor 18 (Fig. 2). Thus it will be apparent 1 that the core 15 is guided and supported along the greater portion of its area upon opposite horizontal faces thereof (Figs 1 and 2) along the entire length of the mandrel 20, the opposed horizontal faces of the aperture 27 being continued throughout the length of the mandrel 20 right up to the ex-. I

treme pointed right ends of the members 21 and 22. The operation of the serving apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows:

- Referringparticularly to Figs. 2 and 3 wherein it will be assumed that a single twisted pair of wires 12,,for the sake of wires occurs. Thus, in operation, assuming that the stranding drum (not' shown) with the attached distributor 10 is revolving at a constant speed in a clockwise direction as vviewed in Fig. 3 and that the core 15 is being moved longitudinally at a predetermined speed toward the right (Figs. 1 and 2). the wires 12 as they move to the right with the core 15 from the point 30 to the tip of the upper member 21 are pulled through their respective eye 17 of the distributor 10 and simultaneously moved cloek-' WlSe or upwardly as vlewed in, Fig. 2. Durmg this movement the wires are progressively formed into their ultimate formation 195 upon the core, the actual bending of the wires taking place over the upper ta cred end of the member 21 and the lower e ge of the core which is supported directly above by the horizontal face of the upper member 21. Upon reaching the tip of the member 21 the wires have been completely formed around the edge of they core 15, the

distributor then having revolved 180 and the wires having'assumed the position indicated in dotted lines (Fig. 2) in'contact with the upper face of the core 15. A con- 'tinuation of the serving operation wraps the pair of wires over the lower tapered end of Upon the wires reaching the tip of either member 21* or 22 of the mandrel they have been completely preformed to fit around the edges of the core, free of any excess surplus at the bending areas so that they are completely assembled upon the core'with the proper degree of tightness. and without an simplicity and clearness in illustrating the the member 22 and the upper edge of the 2. 13 core in a-manner identical to that described i connection with the upper member 21. l"

nating any tendency of the wires through.

varying tensions thereon to distort the core, all tensions having been taken u during their engagement with the tapere ends of the members 21 and 22 during their movement therealong from the points 30 to the tips thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of serving a strand to a non-circular shaped core, which consists in preforming the strand into its ultimate formationupon the core, and then assembling the thus formed strand upon the core.

2. The method of serving a'plurality of strands to a non-circular shaped core, which consists in progressively forming the strands into their ultimate formation upon the core, and simultaneously assembling the thus formed strands upon the core.

3. The method of serving a plurality of strands to a non-circular shaped core, which consists in distributing the strands from a plurality of points around the core, and

preforming the strands into their ultimate formation upon the core.

4. The method of serving a plurality of strands to a non-circular shaped core, which consists in distributing the strands from a plurality of uniformly spaced points around the axis of the core, progresslvely forming the strands into their ultimate formation upon the core, and simultaneously assembling the thus formed strands upon the core. 5. The method of serving a plurality of strands to a non-circular shaped core, which consists indistributing the strands from a plurality of points around the core, preforming thev strands into their ultimate. formation upon the core, and causing a combined relative rotation between the points and the core and a. relative movement therebetween along the axis of the core to assemble the thu'sformed strands upon the core.

6. In a serving apparatus, means for wrapping a strand around a non-circular shaped core, and means continuously engaging the strand during the serving operatlon for preforming the strand into lts ultimate fm'mation upon the core.

7. In a serving apparatus, means for distributing a plurality of strands from a plu rality of points around a non-circular shaped core and wrapping them therearound, and means continuously engaging the strands during the serving operation for progres 'sively forming the strands into their 'ultimate formation upon the core.

8. In a serving apparatus, means for distributing a plurality of strands from a plurality of points around a longitudinally moving non-circular shaped core and wrap-' continuously engaging the strands during the serving operation for progressively forming the strands into their ultimate formation'upon the core.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 1st day of October, A. D. 1926.

HENRY ROGERS MASSINGI-IAM 

